Chapter 7: Hope
Author's note: At xxx play protectors of the earh
Clemont performed methodical maintenance on Ash and Red's armor/weapons as he sat beside a tree with Luxray, Chespin, and Bunnelby.
The serene sound of Fletchings chirping and a gentle breeze helped ease the squire as he went about his duties as a squire. Clemont always proved more than capable of this particular duty as a squire, even if he wasn't a good fighter.
Still, by this point, there was little more for him to do. Ash and Red's equipment was in nearly perfect condition after three days of maintenance. Right now, he was just looking for something to keep his mind occupied and didn't want to wake the others should one of his inventions go awry.
"By." Bunnelby said as he tenderly stroked his head against Clemont's leg. The young man smiled slightly and rubbed his head.
"Merci, Bunnelby." Suddenly he and his Pokemon felt the wind grow unnaturally stronger and heard something approach.
"Lux!" Luxray growled while taking a defensive stance, but Clemont calmed him as he emphasized who it was that approached. Red's Charizard carefully landed in the middle of their camp, with Noibat following close behind and Sceptile emerging from the trees.
"Matin, Red." Clemont muttered. The young knight slowly nodded, a vigilant look on his face as he dismounted from Charizard and placed his sword against a tree.
"Still no sign of any Galar routiers." Despite this good news, neither young man nor their Pokemon looked particularly relieved. Since escaping Lumiose city three days earlier, they'd decided to head west towards the coast and then north towards Shalour city where they could take refuge at the Tower of Mastery, one of Kalos's most formidable fortresses.
Unfortunately, thus far, they'd barely made any progress, as bands of Galar routiers pillaged the countryside surrounding Lumiose city, forcing the party to keep a low profile.
Red glanced back at Clemont, who'd now taken his sword and began polishing it as if doing so would drive out the Galar invaders.
"Clemont, if you shine that blade anymore, King Victor will see us from the northern coast."
"I have to do something. I must be useful and working on my inventions will just wake the others up." Clemont sounded like he was on the verge of shouting but just managed to restrain himself.
Red took a deep breath and slowly approached the squire, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Clemont, you're not going to help them by doing this. Shauna or your father." Red saw tears trickle down from the ends of Clemont's spectacles.
"Even if I'd been there, it wouldn't have made a difference. I'm a failure and everyone knows-"
"Clemont!" Red growled, seizing his companion by the shoulders with a firm expression that nearly made Clemont yelp.
"Clemont, we don't have the time or luxury for you to wallow in your self-pity! Stop lamenting who you couldn't protect and remember those you still can!" Clemont looked back at Bonnie's tent and saw his baby sister inside, clutching Dedenne as she slept.
Clemont nodded, but as he looked back at Red, the squire noticed hints of mourning in his eyes. Clemont felt a bit stupid now, having entirely forgotten about monsieur Pierre.
Since washing ashore on Kalos over sixteen years ago, Red hadn't thought much if at all about his and Ash's birth parents. The royal knight and King Alexandre had both been father figures to the brothers, and neither felt a lack of love from them. Yet now, both were gone.
"Red, are you ok?" Clemont asked sincerely. Red jerked away, but his Pokemon prevented him from going far.
"Grauuu." His Charizard growled while nuzzling against him.
"...I'll, I'll be fine." He muttered, not entirely sure of himself.
Ash and Serena slept soundly in their tent with Pikachu, Lucario, Fennekin, and Charizard around them, or rather Charizard's head and neck. However, the fire lizard's breath and Fennekin's aura gave the tent a rather warm feeling.
Ash slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Serena, who remained wrapped around him, with her head against his chest. The knight didn't want to wake Serena yet and decided to stay in place. However, he didn't know that Serena was also awake and stared forward with a somewhat distant expression. Several minutes went by until Serena felt Ash stroke her now shorter hair.
"Ash, are you awake?"
"Oui, I guess that means you are too." She nodded unenthusiastically. Serena still hadn't recovered from everything, nor could Ash blame her. Alexandre and Pierre's fates still loomed over him, but he couldn't let such things hinder him now. Yet Ash didn't ask if she was ok, for he knew it was a stupid question. Instead, he simply held his wife for another few minutes before she finally sat up.
"Well, we can't sit here forever."
"Serena." Ash took her by the hand and looked deeply into the Princess's eyes.
"Serena, if you want to talk." The Princess fought back tears and shook her head.
"I have to be strong for Papa." She mumbled before feeling Ash's warm hand on her cheek.
"Serena, it's ok to be sad... Your father was an amazing man, the kind who took in two orphan boys as his own." Ash lowered his head slightly as Pikachu, Lucario, and Charizard pressed against him while Fennekin did the same with Serena.
Serena finally began to tear up but smiled.
"He saw what kind of men you and Red would become, even as boys."
Ash shook his head and felt a few tears escape him.
"No, he made us those men. He and Pierre." The two embraced again and shared a warm kiss before joining the others. Breakfast had been a rather somber affair for the group, including their Pokemon.
"There was no sign of any Galar. I think we're finally safe to move west." Red said as he slowly ate his breakfast and stroked Noibat's head.
Ash nodded.
"We should try to leave within the hour, and there are plenty of villages between here and Camphrier Town. If we're lucky, we can replenish our supplies and maybe sleep under a roof."
"Wait! What if there are Galar routiers ahead of us!? Those villages are defenseless!" Clemont yelped, and Bonnie clutched Dedenne closer.
Ash, Red, and Serena gave Clemont a somewhat dismissive look.
"Clemont, that's impossible. The Galar invasion came from the north, not the west. If any had come for them, they'd have to have passed here."
"What if more Galar arrived from the west?" Clemont asked.
"They'd have to have gotten past the Battle Chateau and Camphrier Town, which is fortified." Serena added.
Clemont eased himself slightly upon realizing they were right. However, he, Ash, and Red also knew that Lord Shabboneau, the Lord of Camphrier Town, was among the massacred prisoners at Destin. They'd pay their respects to his family when they arrived.
After finishing breakfast, Ash, Red, and Clemont began packing up the camp while the girls cleaned/packed the dishes. Serena and Bonnie offered to help, but the young men insisted they could handle the rest.
Serena, Bonnie, Fennekin, and Dedenne found a small flower patch nearby with a few minutes to spare. Bonnie finally started to laugh again as she and Dedenne played with each other among the blossoms.
Serena and Fennekin also started to feel slightly better as they took in the vibrant colors and pleasant sensation the flower patch brought them. Fennekin purred while resting in Serena's lap as the Princess brushed her warm fur and placed irises on her head in the shape of a tiara.
Serena always loved blue irises. They were the sigil of her family's house, and she found them quite beautiful. Taking a deep breath, Serena slowly smiled at Fennekin and Bonnie, a newfound sense of hope filling in the Princess. Even if she still mourned her father and the others, they had a way ahead.
Very soon, they'd be in relative safety. Camphrier Town, the Battle Chateau, she also knew that a company of Kalos soldiers defended route five from bandits and routiers.
"Fenn." Fennkin purred while stroking her head against Serena's lap, earning a slight giggle from her.
"Almost done, Fennkin. Just one more." Serena reached for another iris, only for something or someone else to snatch it first.
"Eh?" Serena and Fennekin both looked equally confused. Something moved through the flowers, picking a few of them before accidentally bumping into Dedenne.
"Dedenne!" Bonnie quickly picked up her small electric mouse, who rubbed the side of her head. However, Serena and Fennekin focused on what hit Dedenne and finally saw him.
A small Pancham rolled out of the flowerbed and rubbed his head, the flowers he'd collected scattering around him.
"De!" Dedenne shouted angrily.
"Pan!" The Pancham shouted back.
"Aww, he's cute!" Bonnie yelled with stars in her eyes.
Serena, too, found herself slightly taken by the small bear pokemon as he frantically tried to pick up the flowers before nervously looking over at Serena and Fennekin. Or rather the flower tiara on Fennekin's head.
"Cham." Pancham muttered while moving the pedals around in his paws. Serena watched him very carefully and couldn't help but giggle upon realizing he was trying to make his own crown of flowers.
"Need some help?" Serena asked.
"Pan." Pancham didn't look sure until Fennekin told him he had nothing to worry about. After another few moments, the Pancham came close enough and reluctantly gave Serena his flowers.
The Princess began carefully crafting them into a crown while Bonnie inched closer to Pancham with Serena's brush. The small bear finally noticed her and yelped when he saw the human girl looming over him.
"Please let me brush you!"
"Cham!"
"Bonnie, don't scare him!" Serena scolded her before offering Pancham a new crown of flowers.
"Ta da!"
"Cham!" Pancham's eyes sparkled in awe as he stared at it and trembled when she placed the crown on his head.
"Pancham!" Pancham now began a spirited dance around the flowerbed, earning a bigger smile from the Princess and little girl.
"Fenn." Fennekin couldn't help but admire his enthusiasm and nodded. However, Pancham's dance ended abruptly when Serena heard the sound of a stomach growling.
"Cham." Pancham held his stomach, and only then did Serena realize the Pancham looked slightly diminished as if he hadn't been eating enough.
"Aww, are you hungry?"
Pancham sweatdropped. Serena wished they'd saved something from breakfast but soon realized she did have some food. Reaching into her bag, the Princess opened a small basket holding a batch of macaroons she'd made just before escaping Lumiose city.
"Here, try one of these." Pancham never saw food like this and gave it a dubious look.
"Go on, before Chespin finds out." Serena took out two more and offered them to Fennekin and Dedenne, who eagerly accepted. Seeing other Pokemon eat them, the Pancham gave in and ate it.
The Pancham's eyes turned to giant pink hearts, and he looked enraptured.
"Cham!"
Serena giggled again before the hearts vanished, and the Pancham ran off in terror.
"Ehh, Pancham!" Serena cried before noticing Ash approaching with his Pokemon.
"Serena, Bonnie, everything's ready."
Sighing, they nodded and got up, slightly disappointed the Pancham was gone.
Twenty minutes later, they walked down the road towards Camphrier Town. Route five was pleasant enough, with rolling hills of green flanked by dense forests.
"How far is Camphrier Town?" Bonnie asked.
"At least three days by foot. But as we said, there are plenty of villages closer, and we might even reach one by midday." Ash said.
"Good because my feet are getting sore." Bonnie groaned.
"Bonnie, we've only just started. The next few weeks are going to be nothing but walking." Clemont said in a stern tone.
"You weren't running for your life to escape Lumiose!" Bonnie cried.
"Sceptile." Red said, smiling slightly as the Grass pokemon nodded and quickly scooped her up, lifting the little girl up onto his shoulders.
"Ahh, merci! Gee, I never realized how tall you were, Sceptile! I'll bet I can see lots of wild Pokemon from up here!" Bonnie cried, earning growing smiles from the others.
"Huh? Where are they?" Bonnie asked.
"Where are who?" Ash asked.
"The wild pokemon."
"Pika." Pikachu, Lucario, and both Charizards nodded, for none of them saw, heard, or smelled any other pokemon nearby.
"There was that Pancham from earlier." Serena said.
"Hmm, Bonnie isn't wrong. It's weird not to see any wild pokemon at all, plus don't you think we'd have passed someone by now. This is a pretty heavily trafficked road." Clemont said while looking around.
Ash and Clemont slowly nodded in a growing concern. The nearby villages supported both Lumiose and Camphrier Town, with numerous caravans passing between both settlements. The brothers initially assumed it was because word spread of Lumiose's sack and fall to the Galar that no one came in that direction, but Clemont had a point.
As they pressed on, the group started to pass farmlands with fields appearing ravaged, as if the crops were prematurely and forcefully reaped.
"Where are the farmers and their pokemon?" Bonnie asked, fear starting to creep into her voice. Serena clutched onto Fennekin tighter while Ash and Red took a more defensive posture with their Pokemon.
"Pika." Pikachu growled, sparking his cheeks.
"...Oh, Reduka." Ash muttered. Clemont sprinted over to Sceptile and tried to shield Bonnie's eyes, but it was too late, and the little girl screamed as she had in Lumiose.
Serena, too felt her insides go cold when she saw the ruins of a farming village. Homes, barns, and other buildings lay in utter devastation, either burned to the ground or ripped apart with anything of value taken.
"Bonnie!" Clemont wrapped her in his arms and just managed to prevent her from seeing the bodies of twelve or so villagers and a few domesticated pokemon.
"I, I don't understand. How did this happen?" Serena stuttered.
"Galar Routiers... It's the only explanation." Red muttered.
"But you said they couldn't have come this far!" Bonnie wailed.
"...I don't know, the only way they could've is if, if."
"The Battle Chateau and Camphrier Town." Ash grit his teeth and placed a hand over his face while cursing.
"What do we do!?" Clemont tried not to yelp, but fear was starting to overtake him.
"Alright, calm down. Let's think. We can't go back to Lumiose, and if there are Routiers ahead, then west isn't an option either." Red said.
"There is one option, going directly to Shalour." Ash suggested unenthusiastically as he turned to the two Charizards who understood.
"Ash-" Serena started.
"Charizard, get Serena to Shalour." Ash said, stroking his Pokemon's head.
"You can carry Clemont, Bonnie, and their pokemon." Red said to his Charizard.
"Grauu." The two Charizards groaned.
"It has the be done-"
"Ash! I'm not leaving you!" Serena vehemently protested.
"Serena, getting you to protection is our top priority! I swore to your father I'd keep you safe. This isn't a negotiation!" Ash shot back, not angrily but very forcefully.
"Awww, if Noibat evolved, we could all fly!" Bonnie moaned.
"Noi!" Noibat shrieked in agreement before giving a very determined look as he tried to force himself to evolve.
"Noibat stop. We-" Red started before Pikachu's ear twitched and Lucario sensed something.
"Pika!"
"Grouu!" It wasn't long before the other Pokemon heard it too. Just then, the unmistakable sounds of hooves broke the silence, and six knights/men-at-arms on Rapidash raced from the other side of the destroyed village.
However, these weren't Kalos Rapidash. Instead of bright orange flame manes, they had long flowing colorful ones and white coats with a purple horn on their foreheads. The knights and men at arms atop them looked no less extravagant with maroon paint on their armor contrasting orange face paint.
"Galar!" Ash cried.
The routiers laughed with swords drawn as they bore down on the party, their Rapidash unleashing psychic and fairy-type moves.
"Grauuu!"
"Pikachu!" Both Charizards and Pikachu unleashed fire and electricity into the Rapidashs' paths, forcing them to divert. Ash and Lucario threw themselves in front of Serena while Red and Sceptile did the same with Clemont and Bonnie.
The brothers drew their swords and furiously parried the incoming blows from each rider as they passed. Neither knight wore their suit of armor, and while the gambesons over their torsos would provide some protection, both knew it wasn't enough against knights in plate and men-at-arms in brigandine.
It also became increasingly clear this was not a fight they'd likely win, especially as more Galar routiers emerged on Rapidash and several foot men-at-arms in gambesons painted maroon.
"Ohhh, what do we have here! Sword wielders, I think we may have knights, lads! Maybe worth something!" This man appeared to be their leader. He was stocky and not particularly tall, with Galar designed knights armor painted bright yellow, cyan face paint, and a very thick purple wig resting on top of his armor.
"Get the lady too. She's probably worth some money too, and if not, she'll have other uses."
Serena gasped, and Lucario snarled before unleashing an aura sphere directly for the lead routier. Unfortunately, his Rapidash absorbed the blow with only minor damage.
Ash felt sweat trickle down his back as he parried another man-at-arms sword before lashing down and slicing into an unarmored portion of his leg.
"Gaaaaahh!" The Galar soldier squealed as blood filled his trousers, and the man tumbled to the ground.
"Run! Get to the woods! Charizard, cover!" Ash cried.
"Grauuu!" His Charizard unleashed a veil of fire in front of them so large it almost became unbearable.
"Smokescreen!" Red added just after he too managed to unhorse a Galar man-at-arms. His Charizard aided Ash's by blasting the ground in front of them with thick clouds of smoke.
"Hmp, I can help too!" Clemont pulled the sheet off a large wooden barrel that seemingly appeared out of thin air.
"Luxray!"
"Lux!" The Luxray used a burst of electricity to lite a fuse sticking out of the end.
"Run for it!"
Just as the Galar routiers managed to force their way through the veil of fire and smoke, an enormous explosion knocked them and their Pokemon off their feet.
A few minutes later, Ash and the others stood in the dense forest cover and desperately tried to catch their breath.
"Brother, you didn't fail this time." Bonnie said, earning a slight smile from Clemont.
"Merci." He huffed.
"Is everyone 'huff' ok?" Ash asked. Serena answered by hugging him tightly, and he soon hugged her back.
"We can't stay here, they'll start searching the forest soon, and we-" Red started before they heard rustling in the bushes nearby.
"Eh!" Ash and Red quickly drew their swords again until they saw a very worn-looking elderly man emerge from the trees.
"La paix s'il vous plaît!" He muttered, his shabby tunic looking just as dirty and weathered as its wearer.
"Oh, we thought you were one of those routiers." Clemont sighed in relief.
"Oui, they've been terrorizing these parts for days now. Food, please, do you have any food." The old man muttered, emphasizing his frail body and a very skinny Espurr beside him.
"Awww." Serena held her heart and approached him with a tender expression.
"Serena!" Ash reached out for his wife, but it was too late. Serena tried to take out some food from her bad when the old man seized her with surprising reflexes and held a dagger to the Princess's throat.
"Serena!" Ash and the others cried.
"Fenn!" Fennekin yelped.
Moments later, another man and a woman in a very similar condition ran out brandishing pitchforks as weapons with two skinny gogoats beside them.
"Drop your weapons, à présent!" The old man growled.
"Oui, oui." Ash and Red dropped their swords, earning nods from the desperate peasants.
"Bon, now hand over everything you've got! Food, coin-" The woman started before Red's Charizard blasted the ground with a smokescreen.
"Gaah!" All three peasants and Serena began coughing from the thick cloud spewed around them. Rushing forward, Lucario and Sceptile slammed all three hostile Pokemon away while Ash and Red similarly dispatched the peasants with crushing punches.
"Serena!" Ash cried as he pulled her away from the old man and took position over him, fist raised.
"La pitié, la pitié!" He pleaded.
Ash grit his teeth and remained on guard until feeling Serena's hand on his shoulder.
"Ash, please, let him up." Serena sounded quite forgiving despite just being held at knifepoint. Taking a deep breath, Ash nodded and got up. However, Pikachu and the others continued to growl at the peasants.
Before any of them could speak, the old man broke down and sobbed, his Espurr coming closer to embrace him.
"Pardonne-moi! Pardonne-moi!" He bellowed out.
"Who are you?" Serena asked in a surprisingly warm tone.
"Giles!" The old man wailed.
"Colin."
"Sarra." The other peasants muttered.
"You're from the village, aren't you." Ash sighed.
"Oui." Giles said as he finally sat up, tears still streaming down his face.
"The Galar routiers came. They took everything and killed anyone who got in their way. We're starving, and our Pokemon are starving, we-"
"That's no excuse!" Bonnie placed her hands on her hips and stood directly in front of Giles with perhaps the sternest expression they'd ever seen from her.
"Serena showed you kindness! Just because bad things happened to you, it doesn't make doing bad things to others right." Giles fell to a kneeling position before Serena.
"Pardonne-moi!"
Serena placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"I forgive you."
Serena's forgiveness soon spread to the others and their Pokemon.
"Who, who are you?" Sarra asked.
"Monsieur Ash, monsieur Red, squire Clemont, lady Bonnie, and my wife, lady Serena." Ash said before Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder.
"And our pokemon of course." Ash said while stroking his cheek.
"Why are nobles traveling these roads?" Colin asked.
"We fled the sack of Lumiose city." Red said, this technically being true, he didn't think it smart to reveal Serena's identity to anyone unless absolutely necessary.
"Those horrible routiers spotted you, didn't they. They'll come looking! Come with us!" Giles cried, springing to his feet with a newfound sense of purpose.
Without hesitation, the young nobles followed the peasants further into the woods, until at last, they reached their destination. Ash and the others felt a mixture of horror and relief at what they saw, several hundred men, women, children, and Pokemon, wild and domesticated.
"They haven't found us yet." Giles muttered before stumbling over and resting beside a tree with Espurr. Several villagers and Pokemon turned to Giles and his companions with hopeful looks, only for them to shake their heads.
The hope instantly faded, replaced by dread, particularly now that it seemed there were only more mouths to feed.
"Reduka help us." Red muttered, and he struggled to take in the sheer lament of those around them. Men and Pokemon scoured bushes and trees for any berries/fruit left while women tended to crying children, trying to assure them everything would be alright.
Most of them looked much like Giles, unwashed, exposed, and starving. However, Ash and Red both noticed that among the refugees sat men and Pokemon less disheveled and hungry. These men didn't look like peasants, in fact, if Ash and Red had to guess, they almost looked like they could be soldiers by their physiques and mannerisms. Yet none wore any armor or wielded any weapons.
"Shhh, everything's going to be ok, everything's going to be ok." A mother said while trying to console her weeping daughter.
"I want to go home." A little boy sobbed.
Many Pokemon, wild and domesticated, did much the same. All of this became too much for Serena to take. These farmers were her subjects, and to see them in such a state of hopelessness and despair.
"I don't understand. How did this happen?" Ash said aloud.
"...They were forsaken." A somber voice muttered.
Ash and the others turned to see a man lying against a tree with shiny Hawlucha beside him. Even off his feet, the man was clearly tall with a powerful build, short brown hair, and a thin mustache.
While not starving like Giles, he appeared no less dead inside as he stared out at the sky, his Hawlucha mirroring him.
"Forsaken?" Ash asked while approaching.
"Oui, monsieur. Forsaken by those who should've protected them." Ash, Red, Serena, and Clemont felt knots form in their stomachs as each thought of what this could've meant.
"Who are you?" Bonnie asked.
"Arnaud." He muttered.
Ash and the others introduced themselves, but Arnaud didn't seem to pay attention.
"Arnaud, can you explain what happened here?" Serena asked.
The man sighed.
"Word spread of the King's death at the hands of the Galar. Companies of Routiers arrived on the western coast soon after, and in the chaos, they seized both the battle chateau and Camphrier Town."
Ash and Red felt their nerves tighten up again as they thought back to their failure to save Alexandre in the battle.
"Several days ago, word spread of a ruthless Galar Routier Captain who calls himself Lord Oliver was moving east with a company of two-hundred soldiers. King Alexandre had assigned a company of soldiers to protect this land from such a threat, but when they learned of the King's death and Lord Oliver's superior numbers, the soldiers abandoned the very people they swore to protect. They threw away their armor/weapons and fled to the woods, leaving the farming villages to Lord Oliver's mercy."
"What a bunch of cowards!" Bonnie screamed in a fury. Ash and Red narrowed their eyes in suspicion at Arnaud, particularly as they heard more shame in his voice than sorrow.
"The villagers soon fled here too, their crops and belongings seized by the routiers, along with most of the wild fruit. Now, they and the wild Pokemon alike are struggling to survive."
"No, no! You can't give up! Things will turn around!" Serena cried.
"There is no hope. The King is dead. The Dauphin fled, and our Princess is missing, likely a prisoner of the Galar." A peasant woman moaned.
"Dauphin lives! He'll raise an army to drive the Galar out!" Ash declared.
"Pika chu!"
"It doesn't matter. Lord Oliver is going to find us eventually." Someone else said.
"No one cares about us."
"We care! My brother and I are chevaliers!" Red added as he reached into his bag and took out his helmet.
"We'll fight for you if they come!"
"Pikachu!"
"Grauuu!"
"Grouu!"
None seemed moved despite the brothers' promise, making the group sweatdrop.
"What do we do?" Clemont asked.
"...We can't just leave them." Serena said.
"...But what can we do against a small army." Red said, gritting his teeth.
"Cham!"
"Eh?" Serena turned towards the familiar voice, and to her delight, she saw the same Pancham from earlier.
He still wore the flower crown she'd made him and danced around several depressed wild Pokemon, evidently trying to lift their spirits. Serena touched her heart and felt her face turn slightly pink.
"Voilà! Fennekin!"
Fennekin seemed to understand Serena's idea and began wagging her tail. Both ran behind a tree leaving the others slightly confused.
"Serena!" Ash started before he saw the Princess emerge in one of her performance dresses.
"Ta da!"
"Serena?" Clemont started before Ash, Red, and Bonnie smiled.
"A performance! Oui, oui!" Bonnie cried.
"She's going to perform?" Clemont muttered.
"Oui, I think it's just what these people need." Ash's smile grew.
"Pika!"
"Everyone, attention!" Red roared with some help from his Charizard. The entire refugee camp went silent and turned to Serena with dubious expressions.
Serena and Fennekin found a small boulder, big enough to use as a stage, and climbed onto it so everyone could see them.
"I know it seems like everything is lost, and there's no hope. But you're all still here. You have each other, and you can't give up! Never give up until the end!"
Red smirked at Ash, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Cham!" Pancham cried out with stars in his eyes. He raced over and leaped up beside Serena and Fennekin.
"Eh?" Red, Ash, and Clemont asked.
"It's the Pancham!" Bonnie squealed.
Taking a deep breath, Serena and Fennekin began their performance. At first, Pancham found it difficult to get in rhythm with them, but soon he managed to find his way.
It didn't take long for the camp of refugees to become entranced by Serena's performance. The Princess's enthusiasm and passion spread like wildfire, warming their cold spirits.
None spoke, for no words would suffice, and they simply took in the routine. Humans and Pokemon alike quickly forgot about their hunger and pain, instead feeling a rush of optimism and possibilities.
Pancham tossed his crown up to Serena, who broke it apart and sent out iris petals, helped by Fennekin and Pancham's moves. Each person and Pokemon who caught a petal smiled with a newfound sense of hope.
One of the iris petals landed in Arnaud's hands, and he trembled while staring at it. Finally, after a minute or so, Ash saw a tear escape his eye as he looked back at Serena.
The following morning Ash awoke and slowly stretched his arms.
"Ahhh, matin, Serena, Pikachu."
"Pika."
"Grauu."
"Grouu." Ash saw his Pokemon but quickly realized Serena wasn't in the tent.
"Serena?"
Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder as he got up and began searching the camp for Serena.
"Serena? Serena!?" Ash knew he'd likely wake a few people but didn't care much.
"Serena! Is lady Serena missing!" Giles yelped.
"We need to find her! Start searching now!" Someone else cried.
"She's over here!" Ash and many others breathed a sigh of relief. When the knight arrived, he saw Serena and Fennekin with the Pancham from yesterday.
"Bon très bon." Serena said as she and Fennekin watched the Pancham perform.
"Cham!"
"So, is he your new partner?" Ash asked with a growing smile.
Serena giggled slightly and stared at Pancham with admiration.
"He's very passionate."
"Just like you." Ash said while kissing her cheek.
"...I-" Serena started before feeling his hand on her shoulder.
"Serena, look around." Ash said as he emphasized the utterly transformed camp. The refugees were almost unrecognizable from the day before, with everyone on their feet doing something to help and moving with a sense of purpose. All except for Arnaud, and the other non-starving men, who'd disappeared with their Pokemon.
"You did this." Ash looked incredibly proud of his wife, whose bashful expression became worse.
"I-"
"Ash!" Red screamed.
All eyes shot to the young knight as he and his Charizard raced in with frantic looks.
"Ash, routiers are moving in this direction!"
"Quoi!" Panic spread like a terrible disease throughout the camp as people and Pokemon alike ran aimlessly in every direction.
"Non!" Serena cried.
"Bonnie! Bonnie, where are you!" Clemont cried before he saw her standing on the rock where Serena performed.
"Everyone, get it together!" She roared, bringing the entire camp to a halt.
"She's right. We need to get the children out of here first! Clemont, get our armor on!" Ash barked. Serena joined several adults as they tried to collect the elderly and children together.
"Move them north, and don't come back until-" Serena started before seeing Ash, Red, and their Pokemon now fully armored moving towards them.
"Serena, you're going with them."
"Ash-"
"Serena, this isn't up for depa-"
"Non!" The ground shook slightly, and Ash felt his stomach harden into stone. He slowly turned to a dozen or so Galar knights on Rapidash, leading roughly two-hundred men-at-arms and longbowmen in maroon gambesons towards them.
At their head came the knight with a wig from the previous day, and Red tightened his fist.
"Lord Oliver." He growled.
Ash and his Pokemon took a defensive stance in front of Serena as Lord Oliver rode up, a sinister grin on his painted face.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here, lads. Ahh, yes, it looks like those missing peasants." Oliver's routiers laughed together in a manner that both terrified and enraged the refugees.
"What do you want, Galar!? You've already taken everything from these people. What can they give that you haven't stolen!?" Red cried.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. We were quite disappointed by how little we found in those villages. I was told Kalos was a rich Kingdom, and my boys need paying. These blokes have to pay up."
Ash and Red tightened their fists while their Pokemon growled.
"They have nothing left!" Ash roared.
Lord Oliver shook his head, the grin turning more malevolent with each passing moment.
"Oh, I disagree. They can give me something, all they need is proper motivation." Lord Oliver's routiers drew their weapons while their Pokemon prepared moves.
Children cried out, and Serena's heart raced. Yet before despair could set in, another sound reached their ears, marching footsteps and clanging armor.
xxx
"Huh?" The refugees and routiers alike watched in disbelief as a man-at-arms in a full suit of armor, including a blue plume on his helmet, marched in with a shiny Hawlucha beside him. Before long, a dozen men in similar armor joined him, and then dozens more in brigandine and visored half-helms. All in all, it was a company of perhaps a hundred soldiers, who now placed themselves between the refugees and routiers.
Their captain raised his visor to reveal Arnaud's utterly transformed face. Where yesterday the shell of a man rested, now a soldier stood before them.
"In the name of King Alexandre II, I, Captain Arnaud, order you to leave these lands!" The refugees watched in awe, but Lord Oliver and his routiers merely laughed.
"Captain Arnaud? Weren't you and your men the ones who fled from us without even unsheathing your sword?"
Without hesitation, Arnaud drew his sword from its sheath and lowered his visor.
"May Reduka forgive me for my cowardice! No more! You won't harm any innocent Kalos peasant ever again, you filthy salopard!" This insult seemed to hit a nerve, and Lord Oliver's arrogant expression turned violent.
"No, I'm glad you Sliggoo eaters came here. Now we can loot the armor and weapons off your corpses!"
"En garde! Protect lady Serena and the villagers!"
"Espoir!" The Kalos soldiers echoed back. The Galar routiers surged forward while Ash, Red, and Arnaud organized their men into a defensive wall, holding ranks and halting the marauders.
Despite being so close to the melee, Serena kept her nerve and began organizing a safe withdrawal of the villagers and Pokemon.
"Par ici!"
"You heard her!" Bonnie cried as she helped direct frightened refugees away from the battle. However, many peasants remained in awe of their soldiers/Pokemon, who fought like guardian angles, not giving an inch of ground to the routiers.
"Cham!" Pancham rushed in, leading the wild Pokemon into the routiers' flank. Ash and Red found their task much easier, now fully armored and backed up by professional soldiers. Both managed to bring down eight routiers between them within a few minutes, all while shouting direction to their Pokemon.
Groups of Galar soldiers tried to take advantage of their superior numbers and outflank the Kalos defenders, only to see Clemont in their path.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Clemont said while adjusting his glasses.
"Come on, you wankers, he just a scrawny little-" One of the routiers sneered before he and his men felt the ground collapse beneath them.
"Gaah!" Two dozen Galar routiers fell into a low pit before Bunnelby sprung up beside Clemont.
"Well done, Bunnelby!"
"Oh boy, whatever will we do? I know, just get up!"
"You want to get up? Chespin, Luxray, give them a hand."
"Ches!"
"Lux!" The routiers' Pokemon readied themselves to counter when they realized Clemont's Pokemon didn't attack them but the ground around them.
Clemont covered his Pokemons' eyes as a colossal explosion from the black powder he'd laid there sent the Routiers and their Pokemon flying through the air and screaming like children before they disappeared in a sparkle of light.
Back in the melee, Lord Oliver found himself unhorsed and struggled to get up.
"Oliver!" He and a Gurdurr turned just in time to see Arnaud and his Hawlucha coming straight for them.
"Hawl!" Hawlucha slammed the Gurdurr onto his back with flying press while Oliver engaged the Galar Lord in a sword fight, holding nothing back. Lord Oliver frantically tried to keep up with the Kalos captain but found himself pushed further back until Arnaud smashed his armored elbow into the Galar's face so hard it sent blood and his wig flying.
"Pour Kalos!" With another precise blow, Oliver's head soon followed suit. With the death of their leader, the routiers panicked and began fleeing like a retreating tide.
"Espoir!" Arnaud cried, holding his sword up high.
"Espoir!"
"Espoir!" Ash, Red, Clemont, and the villagers soon joined in. Serena rushed forward to offer praise to the soldiers but was soon lifted up by Ash.
"Ash!" She muttered, slightly embarrassed. However, the Princess soon realized that all of the praise was coming towards her. Arnaud and his soldiers eagerly joined in and surrounded the slightly overwhelmed young woman.
"Cham!" Pancham leaped up and into Serena's arms, earning a new smile from her.
That evening, a good portion of the refugees returned to the nearby village and began working on restoring it, the rest returning to their own homes.
"Vous voilà!" Giles said as he handed the group a bag of food for their journey.
"Are you sure?" Red asked.
"Oui! Those wretched Galar abandoned their entire encampment when Captain Arnaud's men gave pursuit!" Sarra laughed.
"Oui, they left behind all their loot and provisions! We have more than enough food and supplies to last us until the next harvest!" Colin added.
Serena wiped a tear from her eye before seeing Arnaud approach her and drop to one knee.
"Merci, merci, for everything, your majesty." Serena and the others caught their breath.
"I, I-"
"I heard the stories from Lumiose, the Princess's performances, and their effect on those who watch them. Please, forgive me for abandoning my duties."
Serena smiled again and touched Arnaud's cheek.
"It's ok. You've more than made up for it."
"Not yet." Ash and Red saw Arnaud's company in marching formation, now holding a banner with a blue iris as its sigil.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Oui! We will hide no more! My company will take the fight to the Galar, and we won't stop until we've driven the last invader from our Kingdom! Espoir!"
"Espoir!" The soldiers echoed.
Serena almost trembled, at least until she felt Ash's hand on her shoulder.
"Looks like you're going to be performing after all. There are a lot more people out there in need of some hope."
"Cham!"
"Fenn!"
"Oui!"
Author's note,
Hope still lives in Kalos, and her name is Serena
The war for Kalos rages on, and I can assure you that it's not the last we've seen of Arnaud.
Onto other things, since Serena and the others are a bit older here than in the anime, she's going to look more of a mix of her anime design and her artwork from the X and Y games
Additionally, I've been thinking of potential voices for adult Ash and Red in this story. I've decided that Red's voice is Kenjiro Tsuda, aka the Japanese voice of Seto Kaiba from Yugioh, and Ash's is Yūki Kaji, aka the Japanese voice of Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan. Though obviously both would be speaking in French, since they grew up in in-universe France.
As for the other characters like Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, etc, they still have their Japanese dub voices, as I liked them all fine. This may be getting a bit redundant but if you sent me an OC, feel free to include a voice you had in mind.
So until next time,
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